About Me

I have been fortunate in the work I have been able to do; and not just because I have been able to work in an area I am passionate about. I spent a good number of years as a secondary school teacher of Technology Education (in a superb department), during which time I also undertook my PhD with the Robert Clark Centre at the University of Glasgow – also in the subject of Technology Education. As my work and understanding developed, I became increasingly aware of how much research could shape my practice as a classroom teacher (and vice versa); I found myself in a position where I could observe the influences of research I studied as part of my everyday work with pupils in a range of Technology subjects and tasks.

Though part of me still misses working with pupils, I am confident that my move into academia will allow me to continue to contribute to learning and teaching, but from a slightly different angle; and this is the rationale upon which this blog rests.

My own areas of interest centre mainly around classroom level learning and teaching for education in general, but with a particular interest in Technology and Engineering subjects. I am also interested in the process and challenges of educational research itself.

My work currently focuses on:

The role of materials, objects and tools in helping pupils to think and problem solve.

Learning Transfer and Problem-Based Learning.

Pedagogy, Instructional design & technology enhanced learning.

I will discuss aspects of these and more in the posts that follow and hope that it will be of interest to educational and social researchers, teachers and those involved in education more widely.

About Thinkosity

This professional blog is a space in which I hope to share directions, developments and considerations related to my research and teaching in the fields of Education and Technology Education.
It is my hope that this will be of interest to those involved in research as well as those involved in the craft of classroom teaching.